Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra expressed his disappointment with Royal Challengers Bangalore’s pacer Harshal Patel’s performance in the IPL 2023 season. RCB finished sixth in the league stage, ultimately being knocked out of the tournament. Chopra further criticized certain decisions made by the RCB team management, particularly regarding their team selection for specific matches.
Speaking on his Youtube channel, Chopra shared his assessment of Patel’s season, stating, “Harshal Patel had just an okay season. He wasn’t able to control runs at the death, and the waist-height no balls and full tosses were happening too often. He has certainly not lived up to the expectations that were there from him.”
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With RCB finishing sixth in the IPL 2023 points table, earning 14 points from 14 games, Chopra highlighted some baffling choices made by the management. He expressed his perplexity, saying, “Hasaranga just didn’t have form on his side. There were quite a few baffling decisions made by the management, like when they played a youngster in their final game ahead of Karn Sharma. I meant who does that when it’s a must-win game? Also, the ball was wet due to the rain.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwN9IDF_ggg&pp=ygUNYWFrYXNoIGNob3ByYQ%3D%3D
The final day of the league stage witnessed a thrilling showdown between Mumbai Indians and RCB. In the match, Cameron Green played a pivotal role by smashing his maiden IPL century, guiding MI to an eight-wicket victory and propelling them to fourth place in the IPL 2023 points table.
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RCB had an opportunity to surpass MI in the points table if they had won their final league match against GT. However, their hopes were dashed as GT’s Shubman Gill outshone Virat Kohli’s century with a blistering 52-ball hundred. Gill’s heroic innings led GT to chase down 198 runs with six wickets and five balls remaining, securing their victory.
In conclusion, Chopra’s assessment shed light on Patel’s underwhelming performance, questioned the team management’s decision-making, and highlighted RCB’s inability to secure a higher position in the IPL 2023 points table. His candid evaluation serves as a reflection of the team’s performance in the tournament.
